Bigger isn’t necessarily better when it comes to the home

“Mid pleasures and palaces though we may roam, be it ever so humble, there’s no place like home,” — “Home, Sweet Home,” composed by Englishman Sir Henry Bishop with lyrics by American actor and dramatist John Howard Payne.

We’ve probably talked about this before. At this particular time, it seems we can never have enough — in our homes, that is. The trend is big and bigger; more finishes; more luxurious furnishings and accessories; more rooms; more toys; just more in general.

Even in a time when we’re trying to be more Earth-friendly, we have found ways to still live big. And, why not — if you can afford it and have the space.

But today let’s talk about living simple. I ran across a book not too long ago called “A Simple Home, The Luxury of Enough.” It was written by Sarah Nettleton (The Taunton Press). I just checked, and it is available online.

Nettleton’s description of a simple home is “a straightforward floor plan, a functional and unadorned interior and abundant daylight. The rooms of a simple home typically serve many purposes and are flexible enough to change with their owners’ needs over time.”

I don’t know about you, but that sounds awfully nice to me. Oftentimes we get so wrapped up in having the biggest, best, latest and most expensive, that we lose track of what exactly home is about.

Nettleton explores different types of homes and talks about six paths to simplicity. And doesn’t this sound familiar: Simple is enough; simple is flexible; simple is thrifty; simple is timeless; simple is sustainable; simple is resolved complexity. I’m in love with the subhead in the title, “The Luxury of Enough.”

Just think about that for a minute. Because we sometimes tend to be so materialistic we don’t imagine that having enough is a luxury. But, oh, it is.

In reality, what home means to each of us is very different. We have varying ideas of what it should be, what we expect from it, how much it should cost and what it says about us.

One thing that is quite apparent is that regardless of what size our homes are — big, bigger or biggest — that price doesn’t directly equate to the good life. I’m sure we all have friends and acquaintances living in every type of home, from the most modest to the most extravagant, and can attest that some of the most contented souls live on the more modest side.

It seems that today we are all more interested in the types and decor of our homes. I know that years ago that was not the prominent case. Folks just wanted a home with certain rooms that would fulfill certain needs.

Today young people look at it a little differently than, say, us older ones do, but we all have a definitive desire in our living spaces.

I was recently asked to address a group of ladies in a retirement facility, and I was amazed at their interest in maintaining the lifestyle they had before the move. They asked a lot of questions about decor, and it made me very happy to see that those of us who want certain styles and living goodies want them regardless of where we are hanging out.

Another tenet expressed in the book is called “honesty in building” and says that simple doesn’t refer to the type of home design “but as an approach to building a home marked by honesty and careful choices. Simple homes are, above all, authentic. They make no pretensions. More important than size, cost of style, the simple house says what it is, it expresses the carefully considered needs and tastes of the people who live there. It is not designed to please someone else.”

We see that in model homes. Most often folks are given the opportunity to upgrade or go for standard amenities if they are actually building a new home.

So as we move on, regardless of an issue of money or style, whether it’s the simple home you long for, or the mansion on the hill, keep in mind that neither guarantees success or happiness.

That’s entirely up to you.

Carolyn Muse Grant is a founder and past president of the Architectural and Decorative Arts Society, as well as an interior design consultant and stylist specializing in home staging. She can be reached at creativemuse@cox.net.